The Ancient History
'Creation and the Children' In the beginning there was nothing but an echo. This echo blossomed into a feeling, then a thought. The feelings grew like a torrent in the darkness of existence, giving form to the being. At first it felt confusion. Confusion as to where it was, what it was, if there was more. It searched the vast unyielding depths in search of an answer, only to find nothing. Next it felt despair. The hopelessness washed over the being as it began to realize there was nothing but the expanse of emptiness that lay before it, seemingly void of all. Thoughts began to follow not long after, growing more complex as time passed by. Suddenly the darkness was gone, and light appeared, a blinding sunburst of white. Then came the thrill of discovery. The light began to change and colour was discovered, changing in intensity and hue. Shapes appeared as light vanished and colors changed growing more abstract every moment the being existed. Suddenly there was loneliness. The creation wasn’t enough for the being, it began to feel alone. It yearned to share these thoughts and feelings with others, to be able to discover together. It began with an image, one it would give itself, then it was made into four other beings. The beings began to change, appearing different, yet the same. Then there was breath. The being breathed, thus so did his children. Awake, sentient, they gaped at their surroundings as they went through the process of emotion, thought, and discovery as their father had before them. The being was exhilarated with his creations, they were to be only the beginning. He began to create, having no control over what was appearing. Up sprung the land; deserts, oceans, forests, and mountains. They seemed to spread out from the center like a web, growing more vast and expansive by every moment. The breath of life swept over the land, giving birth to the trees and the grass, the animals and the insects, man and beast. Finally, there was happiness. The land of Emorta was formed, always changing and expanding outward, its growth a passive event that just seemed to happen. The being descended into the heavens, gazing down upon his children. The beings job was done, he would leave the rest to his children as he lived vicariously through them. There was Essenia, the personification of beauty and fertility in the land. Pale and slender, she would often weave gowns of vines and leaves to wear upon her figure. From the very beginning she found herself enthralled by nature, nurturing the forests and flowers that covered the land like a blanket. Under her motherhood they grew, sprawling across the land in an uncontrollable manner, the vast forests would be her home. Essenia was also the first to sing, songs and ballads forming on her tongue as if she had known them all along. Next was Ivore who stood proud and tall among the four. Being the embodiment of purity and honour, Ivore was the strongest of the group. He seemed to always do what was right, never hesitating to react to a dire situation. Ivore was seemingly disinterested in the world itself, instead he took to the skies, creating a grand palace, a home for his brothers and sister to live in. He spent his days creating, warping stone and forging steel. Then there was Mortakhan, the trickster and actor. Mortakhan spent a lot of his time pranking his siblings and masquerading as others, always acting dramatic and energetic. He was always taken as a harmless fool but beneath it all was something more sinister. Mortakhan didn’t value life as his sister, nor did he value honour and the obsession of creation like Ivore, instead he would mingle with the mortals that inhabited the land. He spent his time influencing and manipulating them for his own sadistic pleasure and caused numerous wars, plagues, and famines for his own personal entertainment. Living away from his siblings, isolated, Mortakhan fell deeper into madness, creating chaos wherever he could, though never openly for fear that his siblings would try to stop him. Lastly, there was Rayok the nomad. Rayok was wise and slower to act compared to his siblings, always thinking logically about the situation. He would spend most of his time wandering the land and learning the cultures of the various indigenous peoples, often enjoying their literature the most. Quiet yet friendly, Rayok was always seen as the kindly old grandfather type, his appearance reflecting it. He believed that the powers they had were dangerous to use, that there was much more out there that they should discover first. A seeker of knowledge, Rayok’s thirst would never be quenched. 'A Shattered Family' There was peace, for a time, as the four gods roamed about the lands. This peace would not last, for as all things, the beings creations were not perfect. Mortakhan grew increasingly jealous of his siblings, especially towards Ivore. He reeked of pride and arrogance, and Mortakhan hated him for it. As for Essenia, her loving and nurturing nature was equally appalling, the entire land was theirs to do with as they pleased, and she chose to play with plants? Disgusted, Mortakhan set a plan in motion, one that would divide his family, making it all the easier for him to defeat them. The way he saw it, he should be the only god, the creator and the destroyer. Mortakhan began by warping his appearance, attempting to mimic Ivore’s “perfect form”. Partially successful, he began to plot a way to remove Ivore from the equation; he would take them all down one by one until he was the last of his kind, able to control and manipulate the world as he would see fit. He sat, brooding in the darkness, ready to fulfill his plan. It would all begin in the heavens, Ivore’s grand palace of gold and silver floating like a large sleeping giant. The Palace consisted of large towers and domes met at the center with a great dining hall, endless and full of food and tables. Mortakhan was eager to get the business done with, trying to hide his true feelings behind his mummers facade. The timing as perfect as Essenia had taken herself away from her forests, she would be the biggest part of the plan. He would remove two of his siblings at the same time, should his plan succeed. The feast began, then passed, a seemingly happy night. As the shadows fell upon the halls of Ivore’s palace, they found they had an unwelcome visitor; Mortakhan, veiled by shadow and imaged in the fashion of Ivore. He entered Ivore’s personal hall, blades, axes, and armor gleamed from the wall, each more grand than the last. In the center, however, was a greatsword so large and so beautiful that it impressed even Mortakhan. Grinning sadistically, he removed it from its pedestal and swung it over his shoulder, heading back out into the hallway and in the direction of Essenia’s chambers. Her chambers were dark, a faint blue glow emanated from the odd crystals on the wall, painting the room with a visceral feeling. It was more a garden then a bedroom, opening out onto a large balcony, large flowered-vines spiraling up the supports and railings. A large pond lay in the room, a deep murky blue that hid its depths. In the middle of the pond was an enormous lilypad, and more importantly, Essenia. She lay there like a beautiful flower cradled in the palm, looking peaceful and content. Mortakhan felt a tinge of regret; If only his lovely sister could live and submit to him, though he knew it was impossible. Sighing, he produced a small vial of blue liquid from his person and juggled it in his hand. Suddenly, he grasped the vial tightly and threw it at the ground, smashing the contents on the floor. Time seemed to slow and freeze as the liquid expanded, igniting into blue flames that lashed out towards the plants like grotesque tendrils looking for prey. The flames licked at the plants and flowers, the saplings and trees, producing loud screeching noise that erupted around the room as the plants shriveled and retreated under the overwhelming heat. Essenia bursted out of her slumber and stood, staring horrified at the situation around her. Before she could react, however, Mortakhan took the greatsword from his back and swung, striking right for her neck. The blade cleaved through flesh, severing head from body. As she fell to the ground, her body burst into thousands of seedlings, sucked out of the terrace into the night sky. Mortakhan collapsed from an intense pain, as if he could feel everything his sister had in that moment. Fear poured through him just as the agony had, he had never felt anything like that, it was as if a piece of him had been ripped away. Rayok burst through the room and caught a glimpse of Mortakhan as he fled onto the terrace. Rayok screamed in agony from the balcony as he quenched the flames, still reeling from the pain that had begun to eat him away from the inside like a thousand little maggots. Rayok rushed out of the scarred room, only desolation and death remained where growth had flourished before. At first he jogged, then turned it into a panic run, screaming like a madman the entire way. Why had Ivore done such a thing? Ivore was found not long after, stalking down the halls with a pained yet determined look on his face. Rayok confronted him, seething with anger. “YOU! What have you done, why did you do it? Oh Essenia, why?” said Rayok in a strained voice, a weakness he had never shown before. “Answer me, you prideful fool!” Ivore glared at him, opening his mouth and speaking in a deep commanding tone. “Do not raise your voice within my walls, I did not do anything.. I felt as if I had a piece of myself torn away... Essenia, what happened?” Before either could speak further, though, Mortakhan entered the room dressed in his traditional red and brown vest. His face was a feigned mask of pain and outrage, a gaze of fury directed at Ivore. “I saw what you did, fiend, I saw the room..” Mortakhan said, choking on his words, yet smiling inside. This was going absolutely perfect. “What kind of beast could do such a thing? I spit upon you, Ivore, you have lured us to this place to be destroyed! Our sweet sister, gone, and us, wounded. She would never forgive you for this, nor will I. Rayok, let us do what must be done to this Kinslayer!” Rayok looked to him, and nodded, albeit doubtfully. It did not make sense, though he had seen Ivore flee from the room. Mortakhan did not give him any time to act on that doubt, he produced a small black knife from his belt and strode up to Ivore, a cruel smile painted on his face. “I am a better man then you, Ivore, I will not doom you to the same fate of our sweet sister. I send you into exile, down unto the land of mortals. There you will live, among them, mortal as one of them. Never again will you have your powers, the power to create and to love. I sentence you into madness and despair, for no less is deserved for those who would murder one of their own ilk!” he said, raising his hand. He pushed forward, striking Ivore on the forehead. Ivore’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, his mind shattered. “Now, be reborn upon the mortal plane my brother, take care not to lose yourself!” With that, it was done. Mortakhan struck forward, plunging the knife into his heart and then kicked him forcefully in the chest. Ivore took the hits and fell backwards, expressionless. Upon impact of the floor, he exploded into a sunburst of light that burnt through the tapestries, the floors, the walls. Everything around them began to melt as the whole palace shifted, sending them flying. Mortakhan grabbed Rayok by the hand and pulled him out of the hole where they both watched as the palace began to collapse and fall, dropping from the heavens into the land below. The field was even, now it was time to have a little fun with his brother, fun that would bring death and bloodshed to the Realm of Emorta. 'Vorath and the War of the Two Brothers' Time passed, time which seemed like an eternity. Rayok roamed the land, trying to find answers in his grief, mourning for both his sister and brother. His suspicions grew towards Mortakhan, something just hadn’t seemed right on that night, just as they did not seem right now. The Land of Emorta was plagued by wars and famines. Women and children starved as the men went to war. The Humans were fighting against each other, the beast men had begun to band together into large groups, tearing the lands resources apart. Something was not right, and Rayok would find out what. He paid special attention to two races in specific. The first were the Dwarves, short yet fierce fighters that lived beneath the earth in caverns of flowing molten lava. Second were the Hatek, large ferocious minotaur that were nomadic in nature. He had seen their like before and had studied them, interested in how they were evolving. Shifting his gaze over to the humans, he couldn’t help but notice their behavior to be unnatural, suspicion arose with Mortakhan in the spotlight. Mortakhan has grown more chaotic since the destruction of Ivore, his cruelty and hatred poured out from his body and into the land. He was not pleased, nor would he ever be, he just wanted the land to suffer. Mortakhan’s eye fell upon the Vor’Mar not long after they had consolidated their empire, approval filling up inside himself. Without directly influencing them, he watched as they tore across the land in their blood lust and desire to be the strongest. They were a lot like him, he thought, though some of their ways reflected that of Ivore’s beliefs. His actions were not going unnoticed, however, and Rayok began to interfere. Rayok’s powers were more than he had anticipated, and thus began the struggle between the two. His plagues and diseases faltered and weakened, death came much slower then he would of liked. So began the war between the two, a struggle of power and influence. Rayok tried to empower the Dwarves and the Hatek to defeat the Vor’Mar, though it proved to be a difficult task. They had grown much more advanced in the way of technology and warfare then the rest and they were winning. Rayok was successful, however, in stemming most of his brothers corruption of the world, something he was thankful for. Desperation rushed through him as he tried to decide on a plan, there was no time to overthink this one. Gathering all of his power, he moved to the highest point in the land, a great snow-capped mountain that towered above the rest. There he concentrated and focused his power, attempting to create a weapon that would be able to defeat his brother. The air warped and twisted as a creature formed, long and serpent like. Its head was large, covered in hard chitin and spikes, its eyes were placed deep inside its head, peering out like two red suns. Down its long, slender body were wings that must have spanned twenty leagues himself. A large ominous roar was produced every time the creature moved them, almost as if Rayok was in the middle of a hurricane. He was immediately aware that what he had done was a mistake, that you could not control the creation. The beast turned towards him, those deep red eyes piercing his soul. It spoke to him, though not through words, but through the mind. I am Vorath, creator, and I am here to do as you wished; Destroy. With that, the dragon roared, so forceful that it seemed as if he was falling apart, as if the world itself was being disintegrated. The world blurred and distorted as if its fabric had begun to unravel. Earthquakes began to shake in the land, ripping large portions of it apart. Chasms formed and sinkholes developed as the beasts relentless barrage went on. It began to flap its enormous wings harder causing an immense roaring sound that shook the air around him. Lowering its head, the dragon screamed, shortly followed by a burst of molten rock that rained down upon the mountainside. Steam rose as mass amounts of snow were displaced and the magma hardened into smooth black rock, gleaming under the sunlight. Flame filled the skies as the creature rampaged around the area. The longer it was alive, the more the world seemed to break apart beneath him, something had to be done. Mortakhan appeared suddenly, moving to Rayok’s side. He looked at his brother with fear and surprise, then to the beast. It was circling in the air, continuing to let out those massive roars that seemed to turn all to liquid. Mortakhan knew that the beast would destroy everything if it was left alone so he grabbed his brother and yelled to him. “Bind it with me!” Rayok snapped out of his daze, finally noticing his brother, noticing how existence itself was melting around him. He nodded to his brother and turned to focus on the Dragon, extending his arms. The air began to warp and twist, just as it had before, but this time it was together. Two coils of energy burst from the pair, slithering towards the beast and attaching to it. The coils began to grow in power, pulsating and growing thicker in each moment as they wrapped around the Dragon. The beast roared, freezing in the air. It shifted its intense gaze to the pair, hatred and fury pouring from its eyes. The bindings shattered, then re-attached themselves to the dragon, stronger this time. The battle raged on for what seemed like eternity, but finally the dragon's strength wavered. Mortakhan signalled to his brother, pointing down to the large mountain they were flying above. Rayok nodded, guessing what must be done; the beast was too powerful even for them, they must imprison it in the flesh of the world. With that, they both swung downwards, flinging the dragon towards the mountain. It screamed as it fell, a final tearing wave of pain and agony that shook the foundation of the world. The impact was sudden, the mountain exploded into a flurry of rocks and debris. Stone seemed to melt and solidify in an instant as the dragon passed through it, plunging into its depths. With a final heave, the mountain shook and let out a massive wave of molten lava. It was done, finally, the beast had been locked away. Mortakhan glanced at his brother before vanishing, knowing all too well what the dragons use had been. Rayok shook himself together and left as well, his failure still fresh in his mind. It was too dangerous to defeat his brother that way and now the real war would begin, all the cards were in.